Ship-protector



A. REED.

SHIP PROTECTOR.

Y APPLICATION .FILED OCT. 4| |9|| V 1,314,902. l f Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESS/:"8

A TT ORNE V8 ,y En srATEs ATENT oEEroE.

.ANDREW REED, or coFrEYvrLnE, KANSAS.

SHIP-PROTECTOR.

` To all 'whom t may concern y tion.

' Be it known that I, ANDREW REED, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Coeyville, inthe county of. Montgomery and State of Kansas,have made certain new and useful Improvements in Ship-Protectors, of which the .following is a specifica My invention is an improvement in ship protectors and has for its object to provide a device of the character specified adapted rto engage and deflect or explode a torpedo or `minebefore the same can strike the hull of the vessel and injure said vessel, and

wherein the protector is made in sections.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a side View of the protector in use.

Fig. 2 is an end view.

Fig. 3 is a partial perspective View with the reels detached from their support, and,

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through one of the reels.

The present embodiment of the invention is shown in connection with the hull 1 of a vessel, and my improvement comprises a series of reels which are supported for 1'0- tation in s aced relation with respect to the hull. Eac of the said reels is a substantially rectangular frame 2 having bearings 3 at its ends and intermediate its ends for engagement by shafts 4 for supporting the reel. The bearings of reels intermediate their ends are in cross bars 5, and the shafts 4 are mounted in bearings 6, in brackets 7 of substantially U-shape, the bearing 6 being in the body of the bracket, while the arms of the brackets are connected to the hull, as indicated at `8 and 9 respectively. The connection 9 of the brackets is near the bottom of the hull, as shown in Fig. 2, and it will be noticed that the bodies of the brackets 7 are so arranged with respect tol the arms that the said bodies incline inwardly and downwardly.

The body of each bracket has three bearings 6, namely, an upper, intermediate and lower bearing, and the said bearings are spaced apart from each other inwardly at regular intervals. The reels are thus arranged in three series, an upper, an intermediate and a lower series, and three series are provided at each side of the hull.

The reels of the upper and lower series have their planes parallel, while the reels of the intermediate series have their planes Specification of Letters Patent.

fordert.

4 The reels are Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

A.Application filed October 4,1917. Serial No. 194,765.

at'right angles to the planes of the upper j and lower series. Preferably a propeller 10 1s secured to the rear end of each shaft 4 and the long axes of the propellers on each shaft are in the same plane as the reels on the said shaft. The reels are arranged in sections, as will be evidentfrom an inspection of Fig. 1, in such manner thatshould a mine or torpedo explode while in contact with a reel, or be exploded by the reel, it will injure only that portion ofthe device which it strikes, leaving the remainder in working spaced a suitable distance from the hull to prevent injury to the hull should the said reels explode a torpedo, and they extend from the water line to below the bottom of the hull, as shown in Fig. 1. In this gure it will be noticed that the upper series of reels are at or just below the water line, while the lower series are below the hull when their planes are vertical. The reels of the series are near enough together to prevent passage of a torpedo or mine, and it will be evident that should a mine or torpedo strike the reels while they are rotating, the' said mine or torpedo will be driven downward or deflected beneath the vessel.

In practice, should a torpedo approach, it will be engaged by the uppermost reel, whlch will drive it downward where it will be engaged by the intermediate reel, and then by the lower reel, being thus driven below the vessel. Should the mine or torpedo be exploded by the striking of the reel, only the reels will be damaged, and since they are sectional, it is not likely that the entire device will be put out of commission.

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be noticed that a thrust collar 11 is arranged between each reel and the adjacent bearing 6. Other propellers 12 are arranged on the shaft 4 in connection with certain sections of the reel.

The reels are driven from a shaft 17 which may be the shaft operating the usual propellers. This shaft 17 is geared to a shaft 18 by bevel gearing 19, and the shaft 18 is geared to a shaft 20 by bevel gearing 21. The shaft 20 extends alon the ends of the reel shafts and is connecte to the said shafts by bevel gearing 22.

The propellers 12 mounted upon the reels assist in the propulsion of the vessel, while at the same time they create currents of water moving longitudinally of the vessel to assist in deflecting torpedoes and the like.

l. The combination witha lvessel, ofreels supported thereby in spaced relation 'and at the opposite sides of the vessel for deflectf.

ing mines and torpedoes downward; means Y forrotating the said reels with their upper porti-ons moving' outward', said reels being arranged in series, one above the other and;

. with the lower series spaced inwardly be'- 4yond' the upperseries, 'eachjree'l consisting' of `a series of: independent `and substantially rectangular frames having bearings at their ends, :and Vshafts supported `ley-the lvesselv upon which the reelsvare arranged.V

. the:oppositesidesoif thefvessel.forldeflecting VVmines` and torpedoesA downward,z.means for rotating thev said', reelst withV their upperp0riTlae' combination witha Vessel; of! reels supported therebyinspaced relation and' at tions' moving'outwardfesaid reels bei-ng' arrangedv in series, one above the other and with-the lower series spaced inwardly -be.

means for rotating' the said'reels lwith their Y 1 upper portions moving outward..v

4. The vcombination witha Vessel,V ofrotatable reelssupported thereby in spacedref. lation and upon opposite sides of the .vessel so f for defl'ecting minesl and torpedoes, ypropel-'V Y 1ers injeonnectlonwith the-reels, andmeans for rotating the reels-andpropellers.

Y AVVitnesses:` o Y, LILLIAN D. HYDE, A VWN. BEATTIE..

ve'cents each', by addressing the vflommssiovner, of- 'Pate-nts;

ANDREW REED-4 v 

